Kite construction



June 1960 M. H. FELDMAN 2,941,765

KITE CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 25, 1958 IN VENTORL 2 Marshall Hj'eldman United States Patent KITE CONSTRUCTION Marshall H. Feldman, 2603 Los Coches Ave,

San Jose, Calif.

Filed Nov. 25, 1958, Ser. No. 776,272 3 Claims. (Cl. 244-153) This invention relates to amusement devices and more particularly to a novelty kite.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substantially self sustained tubular type kite which can be made to resemble any desired type of animal and which can be easily flown at all altitudes.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novelty kite construction of the above type in which the flexible tubular main body portion thereof is constantly inflated by the air passing longitudinally therethrough so as to provide a realistic shape and to enable the kite to be readily folded and stored in a small area when not in use.

Other objects of the invention are to provide a kite construction bearing the above objects in mind which is of simple construction, has a minimum number of parts, is inexpensive to manufacture and eflicient in operation.

For other objects and for a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a novelty kite made in accordance with the present invention, in the form of a fish, in operative use;

Figure 2 is a front end elevational view taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the assembly shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view taken along line 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along line 55 of Figure 1.

Referring now more in detail to the drawing, a novelty kite made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a substantially tubular, flexible walled main body member 12 having an inlet opening 14 at one forward end and an outlet opening at the opposite tail end 16.

The front inlet end 14 of the main body member defines an opening of substantially oval configuration lying within a plane defining an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the main body member. The central portion of the main body member 12 is further provided with a constricted area of reduced cross section which flares outwardly toward the opposite ends thereof. The particular relationship between the inlet and outlet ends of the main body member 12, the angle of inclination of the oval shaped inlet 14 relative to the longitudinal axis of the main body 12, and the relative constriction of the central portion 20 of the main body member assures the constant flow of air longitudinally through the main body so as to maintain it in a completely inflated condition at all times to produce a natural appearing shape. The tail section 16 will flutter as the air rushes outwardly through the rear end of the device in flight. In addition, trim tabs 22 secured to the opposite sides of the bottom portion of the main body portion 12 act like a keel weight of a sailboat to keep the kite from spinning. These trim tabs may he in the form of wire paper clips, or the like to provide a proper distributed weight.

A bridle in the form of a plurality of shroud lines 24 defining the outline of a cone and connected at one base end to the oval shaped inlet 14 converge at the opposite apex end for securement to an anchor line 26 which is controlled from the ground. The central longitudinal axis of the cone shaped bridle formed by the shroud lines 24 extends substantially normal to the plane of the oval shaped inlet opening 14 and similarly defines an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the main body member 12.

If desired, the kite may be designed to resemble substantially any type of animal, fish, or the like, simply by designing the main body portion thereof along the lines outlined above. If desired, the main body portion 12 may be contructed of sheet plastic, plastic coated paper, or the like depending upon the degree of durability desired. Similarly, the shroud lines 24 and anchor line 26 may be constructed of any desired and suitably strong material.

While various changes may be made in the detail construction, it shall be understood that such changes shall be within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A novelty kite comprising, in combination, a flexible walled tubular main body member wherein a central portion thereof defines a duct of reduced cross sectional area flaring outwardly in opposite directions lengthwise of the main body member, a tail integral with the rear end of the main body member a bridle connected to the front end of the main body member, said front end defining an inlet of substantially oval configuration lying within a plane defining an acute angle with the longitudinal axis of the main body member, and duct means extending lengthwise through the main body member and opening outwardly through both ends thereof for receiving a steady flow of air therethrough to maintain the body member in at least a partially inflated condition.

2. The combination according to claim 1, wherein said bridle comprises a plurality of shroud lines defining the outline of a cone connected at one base end to the portions of said main body member defining said oval shaped inlet, and an anchor line connected to the opposite apex end of said bridle shroud lines.

3. The combination according to claim 2, wherein the longitudinal axis of said conical bridle defined by said shroud lines extends normal to said plane of said inlet and defines an acute angle with said longitudinal axis of said main body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,579,034 Roberts Mar. 30, 1926 1,734,493 Knott Nov. 5, 1929 1,973,205 Gordon Sept. 11, 1934 2,520,704 Wisney Aug. 29, 1950 2,648,508 Bell Aug. 11, 1953 

